Poll

Civil Rights Regression

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Tue, 12/06/2011 - 3:14am

Greg_F

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Joined: 08/25/2011

On Aug. 21, 2011: Mr. Braxton wrote:

Civil rights regression
In October 1997, I became the first black in Hardin County hired as a deputy sheriff under the Kentucky Police Officer Professional Standards program. So far, I have been the only black to go through that complete process and graduate from the academy and return to serve as a Hardin County deputy sheriff. I very likely will be the first black Hardin County deputy sheriff to retire unless I either get killed or do something stupid. Reggie Moore, Hardin County’s first black deputy sheriff, was hired before implementation of the POPS program and all other black deputy sheriffs transferred in from other police agencies.
My parents taught me pioneer responsibilities. Self discipline, restraint and solid work ethics were my responsibility to other blacks following in my footsteps. “Raising the bar” and “policing my own” were vital, endless tasks. Therefore, I’m very angry at President Barack Obama.
Does President Obama, those who reared him as a youth or anyone currently advising him care how his actions affect blacks following in his footsteps? Was the first-black- president-label just for black and liberal votes? While no black “homey” of mine from the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area would sign anything without both reading and understanding it, President Obama, an attorney, chose to sign bills before fully reading them. He could have raised the black American image but his out-of- touch “Third-World” mindset apparently doesn’t care how vital that is.
More blacks should speak up about President Obama’s apparent willingness to set bad examples. Too many people, supported by liberal media, “protect” Obama with false allegations of anti-black racism. He clearly has been a highly visible example of laziness as noted in an Aug. 15 column by Colbert I. King in this paper. I feel that President Obama has recreated barriers for American blacks and has set civil rights back about 50 years.
Harry M. Braxton
Elizabethtown

I find it amusing that Mr. Braxton accuses the "liberal media" of "false allegations of anti-black racism," while at the same time judging president Obama solely on the basis of race. Why doesn't Mr. Braxton consider Obama as an American person first?

"The first-black-president-label" Mr. Braxton assigns to Obama as one of his campaign selling points was not put forth by Obama himself, and certainly not a valid reason to cast a vote. Doing so would be as bad as voting for an opposing candidate because he was white.

During the housing bubble prior to the foreclosure meltdown, a lot of documents were signed without fully reading and understanding them. I am relieved to hear that none of them included Mr. Braxton's "homeys," as he calls them.

The president should not bear the burden of raising the "black American image." Just being able to do his job under the circumstances that now exist is remarkable enough. Has he made mistakes? Of course. Unfortunately, Obama's task to make race a non-issue concerning his job has been made even more difficult by those who think like Mr. Braxton.

But to go through all that just to attack Obama's work ethic as a stereotypical "laziness" (Mr. Braxton is allowed to say that, you see), then to say that because of that "laziness," civil rights for blacks has been "set back about 50 years" is absolutely ridiculous.

I was around during that time, too, and I remember the cross burnings, murders, open bigotry by elected officials. I suggest Mr. Braxton motivate himself a little bit to study the history of that era.